Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Human Sciences Building - Building Renaming Celebration

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10/13/2022 Added

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[00:00:00.128](gentle instrumental music)
[00:00:04.061](audience applauding)
[00:00:07.741]It's really a pleasure to see all of you here today
[00:00:10.500]as we expand representation across the campus,
[00:00:14.700]and recognize key and critical
[00:00:18.360]and important people in the life history
[00:00:21.210]of the College of Education and Human Sciences.
[00:00:25.701](audience applauding)
[00:00:28.260]I would wanna draw your attention
[00:00:30.540]to the pictures on the walls
[00:00:32.010]if you have some time to spend after the program ends.
[00:00:35.550]These are all pictures that represent
[00:00:37.860]our guest of honor today,
[00:00:39.300]or activities during her time with us.
[00:00:43.050]And I can tell that there are many people in the audience
[00:00:46.410]this morning who worked with our guest of honor,
[00:00:50.550]perhaps were hired by her.
[00:00:52.380]I hope there's no one here who was fired by her.
[00:00:55.479]But if that's the case, that's true too.
[00:00:58.143](audience laughing)
[00:00:58.976]And people that she worked with.
[00:01:01.350]And I think we all have some lineage to our guest of honor.
[00:01:04.800]I'm proud to say that I have a lineage
[00:01:06.990]directly to Dr. Newkirk through her students,
[00:01:10.170]who actually mentored me
[00:01:11.820]when I returned to the University of Nebraska
[00:01:13.920]to chair the Department of Special Education
[00:01:16.140]and Communication Disorders.
[00:01:18.480]So it's fitting that today we are honoring
[00:01:21.150]Dr. Gwendolyn Newkirk and the naming
[00:01:23.520]of the Human Sciences Building
[00:01:25.110]as the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Human Sciences Building.
[00:01:29.005](audience applauding and cheering)
[00:01:35.846]This is a fitting tribute to her undeniable legacy
[00:01:39.420]of leadership and service to the college,
[00:01:42.240]the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources,
[00:01:45.330]the University of Nebraska Lincoln, the community,
[00:01:48.660]and the field of home economics.
[00:01:51.570]Dr. Newkirk was a leader of action and a leader of change,
[00:01:56.010]locally and globally.
[00:01:58.140]As a department chair, she blended a subject-matter-oriented
[00:02:02.220]department with a department oriented
[00:02:04.920]to effective program delivery.
[00:02:07.170]She oversaw the renaming of this new department,
[00:02:10.470]and she facilitated major revisions to curriculum
[00:02:13.950]to enhance the relevance and impact of those programs.
[00:02:17.940]She was a project leader
[00:02:19.500]for all Nebraska home economics teachers,
[00:02:22.380]and state department related personnel
[00:02:24.780]to experience firsthand family systems
[00:02:28.140]in states across the nation.
[00:02:30.780]She also served as a Fulbright-UNICEF Senior Lecturer
[00:02:34.770]and Home Economics Consultant at the University of Ghana,
[00:02:38.490]and she served as a home economics
[00:02:40.560]curriculum consultant in Sudan.
[00:02:43.080]So local and global impact of action and of change.
[00:02:48.360]Her impact on the College of Education and Human Sciences
[00:02:51.930]continues to this day.
[00:02:54.090]She remains engaged with the college,
[00:02:56.490]and is a generous supporter of several of our our programs.
[00:03:00.240]We have the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Reading Center Fund
[00:03:03.510]that helps support tutoring services
[00:03:06.300]at the Kit and Dick Schmoker Center.
[00:03:08.430]We have the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Global Education Fund
[00:03:12.720]that supports faculty and student participation
[00:03:15.690]in domestic and international cultural,
[00:03:18.120]and cross-cultural experiences.
[00:03:20.820]And we have the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Professorship
[00:03:23.550]of Leadership in Child, Youth and Family Studies
[00:03:26.160]that recognizes the chair of the Department of Child,
[00:03:28.980]Youth and Family Studies,
[00:03:30.630]and provides some faculty support to that department.
[00:03:35.340]Yes, during Dr. Newkirk's tenure and beyond,
[00:03:38.760]the college has changed and change, we must,
[00:03:42.720]so that we become who we need to be
[00:03:45.690]in order to positively impact the human condition,
[00:03:49.170]enhance lives and strengthen relationships.
[00:03:52.710]And Dr. Newkirk's words from her acceptance speech
[00:03:56.070]for the Presidency of the American
[00:03:57.930]Home Economics Association in 1975
[00:04:01.590]should continue to guide us all.
[00:04:04.837]"We cannot conduct business and program activities
[00:04:08.520]following the same procedures of those who came before us.
[00:04:12.900]The unmet needs of our members bring us discomfort.
[00:04:17.310]We feel the pressures of the challenges of the future,
[00:04:20.670]but we can view that future with optimism.
[00:04:24.390]We must find out what we have to do
[00:04:26.970]in order to become what we want to be.
[00:04:29.880]And then we set attainable goals and priorities for action."
[00:04:34.800]I can't think of better words, Gwen.
[00:04:37.260]I'm going to say them a hundred times more
[00:04:40.080]until every person in my college is saying them
[00:04:42.960]a hundred times to a hundred more people.
[00:04:45.540]We need to find out what we have to do
[00:04:48.300]in order to become what we want to be.
[00:04:52.459](audience applauding)
[00:04:53.292]Thank you, Gwen.
[00:04:54.560](audience applauding)
[00:04:58.170]And we have invited a number of people
[00:05:00.300]to also say a few words about this building,
[00:05:03.960]and about Gwen and her activities.
[00:05:06.570]So I am very pleased now to bring to the podium
[00:05:10.050]our chancellor of the University of Nebraska Lincoln,
[00:05:13.110]Ronnie Green.
[00:05:14.499](audience applauding)
[00:05:19.029]Thank you very much, Sherri.
[00:05:20.349]It's a real pleasure to be here today,
[00:05:22.230]and to be in this facility,
[00:05:24.000]and to be here to put your name,
[00:05:26.700]Dr. Newkirk, on this facility.
[00:05:28.500]It's a momentous day in Nebraska,
[00:05:30.900]and it's a wonderful thing to celebrate.
[00:05:34.110]I have a little history with this building,
[00:05:36.510]believe it or not.
[00:05:38.100]Not directly, not as a student here,
[00:05:41.160]or directly in the building.
[00:05:43.410]But if you look at the plaque on the front of this building,
[00:05:47.250]the Board of Regents plaque,
[00:05:49.500]that is in the little vestibule as you come in that, now,
[00:05:53.370]as I hope you all saw, has the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk
[00:05:56.970]Human Sciences Building name over the door.
[00:06:00.300]This building was opened in 1974, was dedicated in 1974.
[00:06:06.420]Dr. Newkirk, I believe had been here
[00:06:08.790]three years by that time in coming to lead
[00:06:12.540]our Department of Home Economics,
[00:06:14.910]and saw this building erected and saw it built
[00:06:19.230]and come out of the ground to support
[00:06:21.780]what it now our human sciences efforts.
[00:06:25.380]Rob Raun is a deep family friend of my wife Jane and I.
[00:06:29.970]And Rob was a member of the Board of Regents
[00:06:32.820]that is on that plaque.
[00:06:34.290]Yeah, he's from Minden.
[00:06:36.660]Rob is still living.
[00:06:38.850]We just saw him recently a few weeks ago,
[00:06:42.090]and I told him about this.
[00:06:44.820]And told him about Dr. Newkirk's name being placed
[00:06:48.930]on this Human Sciences building here on the campus.
[00:06:52.050]And I'm gonna tell you what Rob said.
[00:06:54.270]Rob said that is long overdue,
[00:06:57.930]and is something that he is proud,
[00:07:00.450]as a member of the Board of Regents,
[00:07:02.070]when this was erected, to see happen today.
[00:07:04.290]And I just wanted to pass that on.
[00:07:06.185](audience applauding)
[00:07:11.870]Now, Sherri has already detailed a little bit
[00:07:15.210]of Dr. Newkirk's accomplishments,
[00:07:17.040]and you're going to hear more of that
[00:07:18.660]certainly through the morning.
[00:07:21.390]But I wanna thank a couple of the individuals and people
[00:07:24.960]who have brought this naming to the fore.
[00:07:28.860]Our Chancellor's Commission
[00:07:30.240]on the Status of People of Color recommended very strongly.
[00:07:34.050]And I see Gwen Combs here.
[00:07:35.886](audience applauding)
[00:07:38.096]The chair of those commissions
[00:07:40.620]brought this to the fore for us to consider the naming.
[00:07:45.150]Georgia Jones, I wanted to point out.
[00:07:47.408]Dr. Jones is right over here.
[00:07:49.883](audience applauding)
[00:07:51.932]Also was very instrumental
[00:07:54.720]in the recommending of the naming here,
[00:07:56.790]so I wanted to thank you and acknowledge that as well.
[00:08:02.370]I will point out to you
[00:08:04.013]that in the last three named buildings on this campus,
[00:08:09.660]they share a commonality.
[00:08:12.450]And that commonality is that they honor
[00:08:15.540]legacy women leaders on this campus.
[00:08:19.382](audience applauding)
[00:08:23.030]Louise Pound Hall, you'll recall
[00:08:25.710]being renamed on City Campus a few years ago.
[00:08:29.370]Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall that we're celebrating
[00:08:32.640]a week from yesterday, I guess,
[00:08:35.580]to cut the ribbon on that new facility here at the college,
[00:08:39.360]named in honor of our colleague and friend,
[00:08:41.820]Carolyn Pope Edwards.
[00:08:43.020]And today, perhaps the biggest of all,
[00:08:46.140]the naming of the Human Sciences Building
[00:08:48.330]for Dr. Gwendolyn A. Newkirk.
[00:08:50.510]Congratulations, Dr. Newkirk.
[00:08:52.902]We honor you and we honor your legacy
[00:08:55.601]here at the University of Nebraska.
[00:08:58.729](audience applauding)
[00:09:03.057]Thank you, Ronnie.
[00:09:03.890]And I forgot to mention that the images on the walls,
[00:09:06.630]this is fitting kickoff for homecoming
[00:09:08.610]because I believe the theme for homecoming
[00:09:10.800]is Throwback Huskers, so here we are
[00:09:13.110]throwing back to the '70s and '80s.
[00:09:15.780]So love it, enjoy.
[00:09:18.210]Okay, now it's my pleasure to introduce Kathleen Lodl,
[00:09:21.840]who's the Associate Dean of Extension,
[00:09:24.240]and working with the Chancellor's office
[00:09:26.280]to help the university work on
[00:09:28.440]its Carnegie engaged university status.
[00:09:32.190]So Kathleen is certainly well connected with Gwen,
[00:09:35.610]and we look forward to hearing her words.
[00:09:39.295](audience applauding)
[00:09:45.330]Well, thank you, Dean Jones.
[00:09:47.760]And thank you, Chancellor Green.
[00:09:50.940]It is very, very humbling for me to be on a stage
[00:09:54.720]with people I admire and respect so very, very much.
[00:10:00.030]Thank you for the opportunity.
[00:10:02.340]Now, you're gonna hear some bigger picture things
[00:10:05.130]about Dr. Newkirk and you've heard some of those already.
[00:10:08.040]But I wanna share some things
[00:10:09.570]that are on a little bit more personal level.
[00:10:12.810]My history with Dr. Newkirk goes back over 40 years.
[00:10:18.300]I know, 40 years, to the fall of 1981.
[00:10:23.100]I was a brand new student at the University of Nebraska,
[00:10:27.870]and my first ever class, eight o'clock in the morning,
[00:10:31.530]day one of classes, I walked through that very door,
[00:10:37.110]and I knew at that moment
[00:10:39.030]that that was gonna change my life forever.
[00:10:42.330]And it certainly did and Dr. Newkirk was a big part of that.
[00:10:47.400]So here's how she had a role in my life.
[00:10:51.510]She taught me my first education classes.
[00:10:55.290]She coached me through an education degree.
[00:10:57.780]I have a bachelor's in home economics education.
[00:11:01.440]I graduated in December.
[00:11:03.630]And that really wasn't the brightest thing to do,
[00:11:05.940]when you are a teacher by training because in the '80s,
[00:11:09.390]there weren't very many jobs available in January,
[00:11:13.020]the middle of the school year.
[00:11:15.090]Well, Dr. Newkirk took a risk,
[00:11:17.280]and she offered me a graduate assistantship.
[00:11:20.190]So I took a graduate assistantship and I again,
[00:11:23.190]a couple years later, graduated in December.
[00:11:25.470]You think I would have learned the first time.
[00:11:27.557]And I kind of didn't.
[00:11:28.917]But I graduated in December and she took a risk again,
[00:11:32.670]and hired me as an instructor in the department.
[00:11:36.750]And then when you were saying before, Dean Jones,
[00:11:38.940]about I hope she didn't fire anyone.
[00:11:41.040]Yeah, well so much for that, so she fired me.
[00:11:45.611](audience laughing)
[00:11:46.470]It was a reduction in force,
[00:11:48.540]and she had to make the cut for the department on behalf
[00:11:52.050]of the good of the entire department and the college.
[00:11:54.870]And what she did, even at that time,
[00:11:56.970]was do that in a very caring way.
[00:11:58.950]I remember talking to her on a Friday afternoon,
[00:12:01.890]and she said nothing about this.
[00:12:03.690]And then on Monday, we had to have the conversation.
[00:12:07.170]And at that point she said, "You know, I knew this on Friday
[00:12:10.770]but I decided, why ruin your weekend?"
[00:12:13.219](audience laughing)
[00:12:14.818]Thank you.
[00:12:15.747](audience laughing)
[00:12:17.040]Well, that conversation took another turn too
[00:12:20.250]because at the same time she was firing me
[00:12:23.460]from my instructor job because she had to
[00:12:25.590]because of the budget, she said,
[00:12:27.337]"You know, but we have an opportunity for you.
[00:12:30.090]How would you like to be a grad assistant,
[00:12:32.130]and work full time on your PhD?"
[00:12:35.460]Well, it seemed like a reasonable thing to do.
[00:12:38.310]So I did that.
[00:12:39.840]And so she continued to mentor me throughout my PhD program
[00:12:43.680]and then throughout my profession ahead of that.
[00:12:47.250]Throughout that process,
[00:12:48.690]she was a model of many, many things,
[00:12:51.030]and I'd like to just mention some of those.
[00:12:53.700]She was a model of lifelong learning.
[00:12:57.600]Dr. Newkirk strives for new knowledge.
[00:13:01.620]As an avid reader,
[00:13:02.760]she can always tell you the latest trends,
[00:13:05.760]news and research of which we should be aware.
[00:13:09.450]It is not uncommon for me to get an envelope
[00:13:12.420]of clippings from the newspaper in my mail.
[00:13:16.350]Some of you're getting those too, right?
[00:13:18.480]To keep you up on the latest things
[00:13:20.310]that you might not have had a chance to read.
[00:13:22.524](audience laughing)
[00:13:23.880]She's a lifelong learner, in the last month,
[00:13:26.430]we had our first FaceTime call on her new iPhone.
[00:13:29.625](audience laughing)
[00:13:31.020]Always wanting to learn.
[00:13:33.540]Her commitment to students.
[00:13:36.030]As a true advocate for students. Dr. Newkirk
[00:13:39.180]always went above and beyond
[00:13:41.310]to ensure that students had opportunities.
[00:13:44.670]The offerings from the department on City Campus
[00:13:48.480]on nights during that five to seven o'clock timeframe,
[00:13:51.480]so working mothers could take advantage of those.
[00:13:54.810]They were all part of her plan
[00:13:56.670]to engage new students in new ways.
[00:14:01.020]She's a model of excellence.
[00:14:03.780]As a student and a young professional,
[00:14:06.060]she modeled for me, high-quality and high-performance work.
[00:14:10.740]She challenged us all to go beyond
[00:14:13.590]what we thought we could do,
[00:14:15.450]and then gave us the support for being able to do that.
[00:14:20.070]She's a model for overcoming barriers.
[00:14:23.700]She worked at the systems level at the college on campus
[00:14:28.620]and in the profession to mitigate barriers
[00:14:31.620]for students, for faculty and for the field.
[00:14:35.880]She had the respect among her peers nationwide
[00:14:39.270]to make a difference and make a difference, she did.
[00:14:43.554](audience applauding)
[00:14:49.095]She was a model to service to the profession.
[00:14:53.070]Dr. Newkirk instilled in all of her students,
[00:14:56.520]their obligation to the field of home economics
[00:14:59.670]by encouraging students and faculty to be involved
[00:15:03.690]in professional organizations and to give back to our work.
[00:15:08.370]She modeled participation in campus events.
[00:15:11.370]For every campus event, our department faculty took turns
[00:15:16.020]as to who would be present at which function,
[00:15:18.840]so that home economics education was well represented.
[00:15:22.890]Just last night, she said, "You know, those IANR tailgates
[00:15:27.450]are coming up, I got that postcard.
[00:15:29.550]We better be sure that the faculty
[00:15:31.380]are represented at those so we can network."
[00:15:33.646](audience laughing)
[00:15:34.980]Her legacy is ongoing.
[00:15:36.617](audience laughing)
[00:15:38.130]Dr. Newkirk is a model for risk-taking.
[00:15:41.280]She's always willing to take a calculated risk
[00:15:44.460]for the betterment of the college,
[00:15:46.500]the department, the students and the faculty.
[00:15:49.800]She recruited student athletes to the department.
[00:15:54.240]There, they were able to gain skills in communication,
[00:15:57.990]management, financial management,
[00:16:00.660]and get the nurturing and caring that helped them
[00:16:03.030]be successful after their lives here on campus.
[00:16:06.870]Like was already cited before,
[00:16:08.880]she promoted international work
[00:16:10.980]before it was trendy and popular.
[00:16:13.560]And in some cases, quite risky.
[00:16:15.960]She's a risk taker.
[00:16:18.630]Dr. Newkirk carried out all of these attributes
[00:16:21.780]with a sense of respect, caring and finesse.
[00:16:26.760]I'd also like to add that since her retirement,
[00:16:29.310]she has carried on all of these traits.
[00:16:31.650]I've been fortunate enough to continue
[00:16:33.930]to meet with Dr. Newkirk, Melinda Holcombe,
[00:16:37.380]and Julie Johnson monthly.
[00:16:40.080]And I continue to experience
[00:16:42.150]their coaching and their nurturing,
[00:16:44.640]just as much as I did as a student and a young professional.
[00:16:48.990]I know of no one, no one, who is more deserving
[00:16:54.540]of having a space where excellence in learning
[00:16:58.650]and preparing bright, young minds
[00:17:01.350]for our next generation of learners will continue.
[00:17:05.550]I look forward to hearing the new freshmen ask,
[00:17:09.397]"Where is the Newkirk Building?"
[00:17:11.760]When they get off the bus over here
[00:17:13.620]for the first time for their first class on campus.
[00:17:18.030]Newkirk Hall, it's a space where our next generation
[00:17:22.590]of leaders will begin their journey.
[00:17:25.770]Dr. Newkirk, we sincerely thank you for what you have done
[00:17:30.630]for education, for the college, for the field,
[00:17:35.370]for the University of Nebraska,
[00:17:37.500]and for every person who has crossed your path.
[00:17:41.670]Thank you for everything you've done.
[00:17:44.101](audience applauding)
[00:17:54.479]Thank you, Kathleen.
[00:17:55.440]And I should mention that the Human Sciences Building
[00:17:58.740]continues to house programs that are true
[00:18:02.400]to the home economics history.
[00:18:04.470]Our Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design
[00:18:07.560]resides in this building.
[00:18:09.270]We have extension work in Food, Nutrition and Health,
[00:18:13.050]and part of our Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences
[00:18:15.810]is housed in this building.
[00:18:17.430]And lifelong learning happens in this building
[00:18:19.740]through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
[00:18:22.140]So many ways for students to come enjoy this space,
[00:18:25.290]to learn in this space,
[00:18:26.580]and to advance their own knowledge and work.
[00:18:31.440]So now, I am pleased to introduce Colleen Jones.
[00:18:34.650]She is Professor Emeritus of Management
[00:18:37.530]here at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
[00:18:39.540]And she's speaking to us today
[00:18:41.520]on behalf of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Colleen.
[00:18:45.369](audience applauding)
[00:19:03.486]Thank you, thank you very much and good morning.
[00:19:09.000]It is indeed an honor to have this opportunity
[00:19:11.910]to speak at this very significant occasion.
[00:19:15.540]The naming of this building here on UNL's East Campus
[00:19:21.090]for Dr. Gwendolyn Newkirk.
[00:19:24.000]While many others may speak
[00:19:25.410]of her professional accomplishments,
[00:19:27.600]or her impact as an educator and administrator,
[00:19:31.230]I'm going to address Dr. Newkirk, Gwen,
[00:19:36.510]more informal persona as a friend,
[00:19:39.720]community trustee and my beloved AKA Sorority sister.
[00:19:46.200]There are some people, movers and shakers, if you will,
[00:19:49.560]whose names fall drippingly off the tongue.
[00:19:52.440]However, the Dr. Newkirk I know
[00:19:54.930]is a mover and a shaker on many levels.
[00:19:57.960]Kathleen just talked to us a bit about those,
[00:20:00.660]and you know her professional accomplishments as well.
[00:20:07.860]Dr. Newkirk is a person who works diligently and quietly,
[00:20:12.540]ever so efficiently but not really in the background,
[00:20:16.950]but also kind of in the periphery
[00:20:19.530]to do whatever the task is at hand,
[00:20:22.200]or to encourage all of us to kind of get ourselves together
[00:20:25.410]to do the task at hand.
[00:20:26.835](audience laughing)
[00:20:30.660]In Dianne Reeves song, the "Endangered Species,"
[00:20:34.170]that Sheryl Lee Ralph sung
[00:20:35.760]as part of her Emmy acceptance speech, it says,
[00:20:39.877]"I am an endangered species but sing no victim's song.
[00:20:45.510]I am a woman, I'm an artist,
[00:20:48.450]and I know where my voice belongs."
[00:20:51.810]For Gwendolyn Newkirk, her voice has always belonged
[00:20:55.530]in the places where things needed to be done,
[00:20:58.020]and things needed to be done differently and progressively.
[00:21:02.070]She has done those things and forged a way, her way,
[00:21:07.320]to make all of us better people.
[00:21:11.190]With grace, generosity and attitude and attention to detail,
[00:21:18.300]a sense of gentle power, presence and peace,
[00:21:24.660]she has led and continues to lead all of us.
[00:21:30.540]As far as Alpha Kappa Alpha is concerned,
[00:21:33.330]she was one of the charter members
[00:21:35.040]for the Psi Chi Omega Chapter here in Lincoln, Nebraska.
[00:21:39.540]When I first learned and met Gwendolyn,
[00:21:43.290]it was through Charlotte Duncan Wagner,
[00:21:45.870]who has now left Lincoln but was very instrumental
[00:21:50.250]in the chartering of this chapter.
[00:21:53.910]And she mentioned to me, she said,
[00:21:55.897]"There's this lady in town."
[00:21:58.121](audience laughing)
[00:22:00.952]And she said, "And she's been here for forever.
[00:22:05.190]And she was some very important person over at UNL."
[00:22:13.195]And I said, "But I don't know of her."
[00:22:16.530]I said, "That's unusual."
[00:22:18.390]And she said, "Well, you know, she's retired,
[00:22:20.460]and she really just kind of is very low-key right now."
[00:22:25.170]And she said, "But she's just a delight."
[00:22:28.470]And so when it became time for me to meet her and I said,
[00:22:32.167]"My gosh," and I went back to Charlotte and I said,
[00:22:35.047]"Oh, this woman's a buzzsaw."
[00:22:37.885](audience laughing)
[00:22:40.740]I said, "She just cuts through all the craziness,
[00:22:44.370]and gets right down to the details."
[00:22:47.655]And really said, "If you really wanna try
[00:22:51.360]to get this chapter here,
[00:22:52.770]these are the things that you must do."
[00:22:55.131](audience laughing)
[00:22:56.520]And we followed very closely, sorer Gwen's advice.
[00:23:03.030]And she, when it came time for us to get our charter,
[00:23:06.300]she was right there with us and was very instrumental,
[00:23:10.770]and continues to be very instrumental.
[00:23:14.460]In her quiet manner and humility,
[00:23:18.420]we found significant wisdom in every word she says.
[00:23:23.880]I've seen firsthand in our interactions in Psi Chi Omega,
[00:23:31.140]a time when we've really been,
[00:23:34.620]and had some very significant things to talk about,
[00:23:37.680]and Gwendolyn very easily just kinda cut through,
[00:23:41.909]and got us back to center and back on task.
[00:23:48.030]Gwendolyn Newkirk is a Life Member,
[00:23:50.820]and a Diamond Life Member
[00:23:52.680]of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
[00:23:55.800]And that means that she's been a member
[00:23:57.720]of our sorority for 75 years.
[00:24:00.801](audience applauding)
[00:24:09.510]And as such, she's been recognized regionally
[00:24:12.570]and nationally as a Diamond Sorer.
[00:24:16.662]And we all know and we've heard the expression
[00:24:19.140]that a diamond is simply a lump of coal
[00:24:21.270]that's withstood the pressure.
[00:24:24.990]And being a pioneer, not only being a woman,
[00:24:28.710]but being an African American woman,
[00:24:31.380]going through everything that she's had to go through
[00:24:33.960]to get to any status professionally at the university,
[00:24:38.970]and even in the sorority,
[00:24:40.200]has been and is a very serious matter.
[00:24:44.557](audience applauding)
[00:24:51.209]And the fact that she continues to be an active member,
[00:24:54.330]she regularly attends sorority meetings.
[00:24:57.570]She drives herself most times.
[00:25:00.510]In the winter, we try to take care of her.
[00:25:02.520]We always make sure that that she is home safely.
[00:25:07.380]Either we drive her or we follow her home
[00:25:09.780]to make sure she gets home safely.
[00:25:15.300]She is one of those people who basically
[00:25:20.250]and regularly participates in committee meetings.
[00:25:24.090]She started attending regional conferences,
[00:25:26.760]and really enjoyed when she was inducted
[00:25:29.400]as a Diamond Member of our sorority.
[00:25:33.870]And she really understands and encourages us
[00:25:38.640]to know our documents and our procedures,
[00:25:42.210]which certainly, she has done all of her life
[00:25:47.550]being attentive to detail and just what is possible
[00:25:52.710]through the documents that are there.
[00:25:56.430]She is a person who we know has relied,
[00:26:00.480]not just on her degrees but on her deeds.
[00:26:04.830]She's been active, engaged and passionate
[00:26:09.600]in her leadership and fellowship.
[00:26:12.870]And that has led to her very trailblazing,
[00:26:15.900]and stellar accomplishments.
[00:26:19.050]She encourages and models all of us to be present,
[00:26:25.320]to get our priorities straight,
[00:26:28.830]to read, know your procedures,
[00:26:31.710]and to take our time and to most of all,
[00:26:35.190]to think and be thoughtful of what we're doing,
[00:26:38.910]and how it's going to affect others.
[00:26:44.160]We used to remark that she was the person
[00:26:46.620]that could get more done on a landline and a typewriter.
[00:26:50.975](audience laughing)
[00:26:53.190]Than most of us could get done with a computer,
[00:26:58.530]and all the best technology.
[00:27:00.570]Her mind is sharp, her will is indomitable,
[00:27:05.610]and her spirit is encouraging.
[00:27:08.790]There's probably not a sorer here
[00:27:11.190]who has not witnessed and who has not received
[00:27:15.630]one of her lovely letters or cards.
[00:27:19.320]So we're not immune, Kathleen,
[00:27:21.240]to the kind of things that you've also experienced.
[00:27:25.770]And we cherish those because we know
[00:27:28.170]that she is truly concerned and attentive and with us all.
[00:27:33.570]So today as the University of Nebraska Lincoln
[00:27:37.110]honors the professional accomplishments
[00:27:40.440]of Dr. Gwendolyn Newkirk,
[00:27:42.660]the community and her sorority sisters in Psi Chi Omega
[00:27:47.430]who, ladies, would you please stand?
[00:27:50.000](audience applauding)
[00:28:03.600]And all of those in the sorority and beyond,
[00:28:06.300]we are extremely proud that this recognition
[00:28:09.990]has been bestowed upon our lovely and beloved sorer, Gwen.
[00:28:15.840]Our diamond, our treasure,
[00:28:20.310]and our most affectionately loved, Gwendolyn Newkirk.
[00:28:24.896]Thank you, Gwen.
[00:28:26.062](audience applauding)
[00:28:35.983]Thank you, Colleen.
[00:28:37.470]And to all the college faculty and staff,
[00:28:40.260]who are out in the audience, I hope you're listening well.
[00:28:42.960]This is a day of learning today.
[00:28:46.380]Okay, I am pleased now to bring to the podium
[00:28:50.040]Dr. Martin Massengale, who was the Vice Chancellor
[00:28:53.610]for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
[00:28:56.460]from 1976 to 1981 and served as Chancellor
[00:29:00.570]of the University from '81 to '91.
[00:29:03.570]Chancellor Massengale, we're happy to have you here today.
[00:29:07.350]We look forward to your words.
[00:29:09.590](audience applauding)
[00:29:18.030]My voice carries pretty loud.
[00:29:19.970]If you can't hear me, well, I'll hold it,
[00:29:21.840]otherwise I will not.
[00:29:25.650]Dean Jones, no, no, no.
[00:29:31.920]Dean Jones and Chancellor Green and colleagues,
[00:29:35.160]it's a pleasure for me to be here this morning
[00:29:37.560]to have a small part in this important event.
[00:29:41.490]As many of you know,
[00:29:44.640]Dr. Newkirk came in 1971.
[00:29:49.320]I came in 1976, so she has seniority on me.
[00:29:53.917](audience laughing)
[00:29:57.336]And we're here this morning to recognize,
[00:30:00.390]honor and celebrate the improvements that she has made
[00:30:04.650]since she's been here and for a very outstanding individual.
[00:30:10.920]And like many of us, you probably know
[00:30:14.940]that she grew up in Washington, DC area.
[00:30:18.480]Probably in a modest environment,
[00:30:20.130]like many of us did as well.
[00:30:22.590]And as a result, she never let that divert her
[00:30:25.593]from her reaching her goals and making it thanked.
[00:30:33.630]I remember very clearly when I first came here in 1976
[00:30:38.160]that I asked two senior administrators
[00:30:41.610]in the Institute of Ag and Natural Resources,
[00:30:44.700]Dr. Howard Oddison and Dr. Robert Klice,
[00:30:48.690]to identify for me some of the significant faculty members
[00:30:53.190]that made contributions on which this institution
[00:30:56.370]resides its fine reputation.
[00:30:59.460]And from the College of Home Economics, at that time,
[00:31:03.300]they recommended two people,
[00:31:05.400]Dr. Hazel Fox and Dr. Gwen Newkirk.
[00:31:10.290]And it's easy for me to see after becoming acquainted
[00:31:14.070]with Dr. Newkirk and visiting with her,
[00:31:16.800]why she was one of those individuals.
[00:31:22.080]And many of you know that Dr. Newkirk
[00:31:24.480]came here from the University of Minnesota.
[00:31:28.260]And as result of that, we were all beneficial.
[00:31:33.150]She made a great decision,
[00:31:35.610]as far as Nebraska was concerned, when she came.
[00:31:40.080]And I don't know who or what
[00:31:43.440]convinced her to come to Nebraska,
[00:31:46.500]but I think whoever did or whatever happened
[00:31:49.290]deserve a gold star.
[00:31:51.048](audience laughing and applauding)
[00:31:58.661]And she made many improvements in the department.
[00:32:01.920]She came as a professor and chair of the department
[00:32:05.340]of Home Economics Education.
[00:32:08.220]And she made improvements, such as integrating
[00:32:12.270]or combining related areas into one program.
[00:32:17.490]But she had the courage, and it's been pointed out already
[00:32:19.950]to change the name of the department,
[00:32:22.140]and not many people would do that.
[00:32:24.360]It went from Home Economics Education
[00:32:27.330]to Consumer Sciences and Education,
[00:32:30.000]which I think was a very important development.
[00:32:35.760]And even with all of her time commitments in administration,
[00:32:41.340]the activities that she's been involved in,
[00:32:43.620]as you heard here this morning,
[00:32:46.380]the mentoring, the teaching, advising and so forth,
[00:32:50.280]she still made time for students and that's so important.
[00:32:55.260]But not only that, she made time for organizations,
[00:32:59.370]corporate boards and others,
[00:33:01.650]which had national and international reach.
[00:33:04.920]So she's a very busy person,
[00:33:06.840]but she always had time for students.
[00:33:09.630]And that's why we're all here, of course.
[00:33:12.930]I think it's important to note that when Dr. Newkirk
[00:33:18.330]came to Nebraska, she brought prestige,
[00:33:22.170]she brought experience and she lifted all of our spirits.
[00:33:27.240]It made us feel like we were gaining
[00:33:30.210]significant improvement and we did.
[00:33:34.320]I think it's clearly evident from the comments
[00:33:39.420]that have been made already this morning
[00:33:41.880]that Dr. Newkirk was probably one of the best decisions
[00:33:45.420]that was made at that time in terms of improving
[00:33:49.320]and advancing our faculty commitments.
[00:33:53.730]And we must always remember
[00:33:55.560]that people do things for people.
[00:33:59.730]And Dr. Newkirk was a master at that because she stood out
[00:34:05.940]as someone who cared about people.
[00:34:10.890]Our primary purpose as an educational institution
[00:34:15.030]is to train young people, mentor, advise,
[00:34:18.420]and help them become productive and profitable
[00:34:23.460]and committing citizens to our society.
[00:34:27.960]And I think probably one of the highest compliments
[00:34:32.760]that can be paid to a teacher or instructor
[00:34:36.780]or administrator at a university
[00:34:39.450]is for someone to say he or she cared about you.
[00:34:45.820]And many individuals,
[00:34:47.430]and some of them including former students,
[00:34:50.370]have commented to me that Dr. Newkirk cared.
[00:34:55.020]She really cared about individuals.
[00:35:00.990]And I think that this morning,
[00:35:03.210]it's important that we stop for a moment,
[00:35:06.390]and recognize the contributions of our faculty.
[00:35:10.260]Frankly, those of us in administration get busy,
[00:35:14.190]and we forget to stop and comment and thank the faculty
[00:35:18.797]that's there for their contributions.
[00:35:21.780]And this university is made up and it stands today
[00:35:26.217]for what they have made and what they have contributed
[00:35:29.610]over the years, these people.
[00:35:33.892]In closing or bringing to a close my comments here,
[00:35:38.430]Dr. Newkirk, I think has been very effective
[00:35:43.200]in getting Nebraska on the map.
[00:35:46.080]She is a world-class citizen, a stellar performer,
[00:35:51.390]and most deserving of this high honor
[00:35:54.720]that is being bestowed upon her today.
[00:35:59.610]A good job, well done, you true and faithful friend.
[00:36:05.950](audience applauding)
[00:36:14.692]Let me say thank you very much, congratulations.
[00:36:19.020]It's a great honor for us to consider you our friend,
[00:36:22.680]and best wishes for the future.
[00:36:24.950]Thank you very much.
[00:36:26.372](audience applauding)
[00:36:34.805]Thank you, Chancellor Massengale.
[00:36:37.590]Well, the time has come to hear from Gwen herself,
[00:36:41.700]so I am pleased to bring to the podium,
[00:36:44.846]Dr. Gwendolyn Newkirk.
[00:36:46.598](audience applauding)
[00:37:10.838]I feel at this moment,
[00:37:11.940]I should move out into the audience,
[00:37:14.240]just to see this person that they've been speaking of.
[00:37:17.514](audience laughing)
[00:37:18.645]I'm deeply grateful and I am honored and humbled.
[00:37:24.120]But you know, someone says when you get a great honor,
[00:37:27.420]don't spend a lot of time and soupy words
[00:37:30.390]trying to say how you appreciate it, go right to the point.
[00:37:34.351](audience laughing)
[00:37:35.250]And there is one expression
[00:37:37.800]that always speaks deeply from the heart.
[00:37:42.060]And so I say to you, thank you, thank you,
[00:37:47.735]thank you, thank you and thank you.
[00:37:51.897]And I should try to be a part of these expectations.
[00:37:57.960]I had planned to say some things this morning
[00:38:00.240]about this experience that I had,
[00:38:02.940]but they've explained it so well to you.
[00:38:06.009]You don't need to hear anymore.
[00:38:09.213]But I do want to do one thing in expressing my gratitude.
[00:38:14.220]And it is, it's not soupy, it's just plain,
[00:38:18.960]I'm glad you did it for me.
[00:38:22.380]I do want to do one thing.
[00:38:26.274]And I don't want you to be embarrassed by it,
[00:38:29.880]but I got to thinking about timespans here.
[00:38:33.690]Some of you want to know, how old is she?
[00:38:36.638](audience laughing)
[00:38:39.090]And I know two or three people here know it just like that.
[00:38:43.890]I do want to say it does affect a little bit of my walking.
[00:38:49.620]But I'm glad to see that you still think
[00:38:51.870]I have a quick mind and it's beautiful.
[00:38:55.860]I am 96 years of age.
[00:38:58.881](audience cheering and applauding)
[00:39:08.131]I don't want to repeat a lot of what's been said,
[00:39:10.980]and so I won't.
[00:39:12.930]I'm shifting some cards here
[00:39:15.060]in terms of what I thought I might say to you.
[00:39:18.030]I want to go back a little bit,
[00:39:21.840]and tell you about the field of home economics.
[00:39:26.250]Nobody's mentioned that but that's important.
[00:39:29.336](audience laughing)
[00:39:30.780]I'd like to say that our profession was founded by a person.
[00:39:37.020]Her name was Ellen H. Richards,
[00:39:38.757]and she was the first woman in America
[00:39:42.840]to be granted a degree in science.
[00:39:47.850]She's known as the founder of the home economics
[00:39:50.640]because she gathered together the isolated facts
[00:39:55.890]upon which the science of home economics is built.
[00:40:00.690]I'd like for you to remember that our profession
[00:40:03.000]is built on the science.
[00:40:06.180]It was her leadership that resulted in the founding
[00:40:10.440]of the American Home Economics Association.
[00:40:13.950]When Mrs. Richards wrote what she thought
[00:40:16.980]that home economics stood for,
[00:40:19.410]it came to be known as Mrs. Richard's Creed.
[00:40:24.750]That statement has been used widely
[00:40:27.660]because of its discernment and challenge.
[00:40:31.467]And here is what she said.
[00:40:35.827]"Home economics, ideal life for today.
[00:40:40.890]Unhampered by the traditions of the past.
[00:40:46.530]Utilization of all resources of modern science
[00:40:50.910]to improve home life.
[00:40:54.480]Freedom of a home from the dominance of things,
[00:40:57.540]and their due subordination to ideals.
[00:41:02.580]Simplicity in material surroundings,
[00:41:06.150]which will most free the spirit
[00:41:08.912]for the most important and permanent interests
[00:41:13.350]of the home and of society."
[00:41:16.680]That is the field I chose.
[00:41:20.700]She wrote a creed and I want to share that creed
[00:41:23.640]with you as well, which embodies what the field is.
[00:41:29.872]"Home economics is ideal for life of today.
[00:41:34.680]Unhampered by the divisions of the past.
[00:41:39.210]Utilization of all resources of art and science
[00:41:43.710]to improve the home life.
[00:41:46.800]Freedom of the home from the dominance of things,
[00:41:50.400]and their due subordination to ideals.
[00:41:54.720]Simplicity in material surroundings,
[00:41:58.350]which will most free the spirit for the most important
[00:42:02.850]and permanent interests of home and family."
[00:42:07.620]I have one thing in common with Dr. Richards.
[00:42:12.360]And that is, when she attempted to get into graduate school,
[00:42:18.240]following her graduation from college.
[00:42:21.805]She's in Massachusets, keep in mind.
[00:42:25.410]She knocked on doors, she went to college application rooms.
[00:42:31.590]She went just about everywhere,
[00:42:33.600]a well-known scientist to be admitted.
[00:42:39.090]And do you know what they said?
[00:42:41.977]"You are not acceptable."
[00:42:45.120]A woman meeting one of the first drawbacks in our field.
[00:42:50.460]You are not accepted.
[00:42:53.310]She went on however with her work for the community.
[00:42:59.070]And what I like about Dr. Richards
[00:43:02.040]is she was working in projects of water
[00:43:05.940]for sanitation in her community.
[00:43:10.440]But still, she couldn't get in.
[00:43:13.290]Finally, after many years,
[00:43:15.750]she was admitted and received a degree.
[00:43:20.970]She was the first woman to receive a degree
[00:43:24.120]in sciences from MIT.
[00:43:29.250]And I would hate to think I'm being copying from her.
[00:43:33.695](audience laughing)
[00:43:34.800]But she does have a building in her name.
[00:43:38.604](audience laughing and applauding)
[00:43:47.204]Now, is it any wonder that I would enjoy being in the field
[00:43:50.790]of home economics?
[00:43:53.015]Grateful for her contribution.
[00:43:55.770]My relationship to her was that
[00:43:57.903]when I finished my bachelor degree,
[00:44:01.470]I decided to continue on into graduate school.
[00:44:07.380]It was mentioned that I grew up in Washington, DC.
[00:44:10.380]I was born in Washington, DC.
[00:44:13.350]But my family moved very early to Austin, Texas.
[00:44:19.080]At that time, knocking on doors was still being done.
[00:44:25.920]I don't know if you know much,
[00:44:27.540]of course this was in the '60s.
[00:44:29.583]I don't know if you know much,
[00:44:31.860]but the colleges in the south
[00:44:36.150]did not admit minorities
[00:44:39.390]for degrees in higher education.
[00:44:44.250]So how I got up to Columbia University,
[00:44:48.660]someone had established a sizable sum
[00:44:53.460]for minorities to apply for scholarships.
[00:44:59.040]And that person was from Missouri.
[00:45:03.570]And I know some of you remember him,
[00:45:05.317]and would remember the name.
[00:45:08.100]And I applied for one of those scholarships,
[00:45:11.220]and I received it.
[00:45:12.960]So I went to Teachers College
[00:45:14.700]where the home economics program was at that time.
[00:45:18.330]And I did get further added to that, a fellowship.
[00:45:23.500]And I wanted to say one of the nicest things
[00:45:25.546]that happened as a result of that,
[00:45:27.312]and majoring in home economics was learning to conserve.
[00:45:32.190]I saved enough money to take my first plane trip
[00:45:37.590]back home to Texas.
[00:45:40.045]And I thought, well, that's great.
[00:45:41.520]First, I got my degree.
[00:45:44.310]I got it because somebody left money for us to apply.
[00:45:49.620]And I did it in spite of the fact
[00:45:51.330]that one of the top schools in the area
[00:45:54.060]was right in the city where I lived but I could not attend.
[00:45:59.700]So that is one of the kind of aspects
[00:46:03.720]of all of this being put together that I remember.
[00:46:08.490]And you ask, "Is it easy doing this?"
[00:46:13.410]I guess I'm not too upset by a lot of things,
[00:46:17.160]but this was kind of an experience
[00:46:21.660]to know that in order to attend a school,
[00:46:26.370]I had to rely on somebody who was a philanthropist,
[00:46:30.927]who made money available
[00:46:33.420]so minorities can get higher education.
[00:46:37.890]Think about that for a while.
[00:46:40.920]It was really kind of a rough road going.
[00:46:45.180]I did go to several institutions to be employed,
[00:46:49.140]but nevertheless it was a fun experience.
[00:46:52.230]And I'd like to think that my learning,
[00:46:55.260]I'm going to put another point from home economics to you,
[00:47:00.120]our learning was basically plotted through association,
[00:47:06.540]all the association with too.
[00:47:09.660]That our learning was plotted through the Betty Lamp.
[00:47:16.995]Has anyone heard of the Betty Lamp?
[00:47:20.160]Home economists say it.
[00:47:22.005](audience laughing)
[00:47:26.370]Let me tell you about the Betty Lamp.
[00:47:28.062](audience laughing)
[00:47:29.490]For many centuries,
[00:47:30.690]the Betty Lamp has been the symbol of learning.
[00:47:36.030]As the colonial homemaker carried on her household tasks
[00:47:41.040]from dawn through the night,
[00:47:44.640]she used a bright lamp, a Betty Lamp, for light.
[00:47:50.370]In the American Home Economics Association,
[00:47:52.890]the Betty Lamp stands for lights
[00:47:56.190]that make for successful home living and homemaking
[00:48:02.730]may then become beams
[00:48:08.310]of the Betty Lamp symbolized to us.
[00:48:11.460]This is what they symbolize,
[00:48:13.410]and think about learning in the future.
[00:48:16.500]The need of exact knowledge.
[00:48:20.700]Appreciation of beauty.
[00:48:23.580]The spirit of joy, of power, of strength.
[00:48:29.340]A bond of operation.
[00:48:31.890]Satisfaction of achievement.
[00:48:34.980]Value of service, blessing of fellowship.
[00:48:41.010]Now, think about that Betty Lamp,
[00:48:42.600]and if you've never seen it, I have a kind of picture of it.
[00:48:46.855](audience laughing)
[00:48:48.390]But think of it is as the learning of knowledge.
[00:48:53.013]Okay, here's the picture.
[00:48:55.323]This is how they stayed lighted back then.
[00:49:02.341]This is the Betty Lamp.
[00:49:11.637]I'm going to eliminate a lot of the things
[00:49:13.227]that I thought to add in terms of my experiences.
[00:49:17.640]Some of them were good and some of them were not so good.
[00:49:22.773]But Dr. Massengale, he and I are paired together today.
[00:49:28.125]He has a building named for him already.
[00:49:30.735](audience laughing)
[00:49:34.855]And I'm sure many of you have been in his building,
[00:49:38.130]and it's the dormitory
[00:49:39.780]that's next to the library on East Campus.
[00:49:44.040]I'm gonna answer your question.
[00:49:48.330]Virginia Trotter, do you many of you remember her,
[00:49:52.559]she was a former dean?
[00:49:54.570]She went on to become an Assistant Director
[00:49:57.210]of Education in Washington, DC.
[00:50:01.260]She came to me, oh, and we knew each other very well
[00:50:05.790]because we had been in so many
[00:50:07.680]organizational meetings together.
[00:50:10.710]And I just knew her as a friend.
[00:50:15.330]But I didn't know she was keeping an eye on me.
[00:50:18.025](audience laughing)
[00:50:19.710]Well, the time came here at University of Nebraska,
[00:50:24.420]as it did at many other colleges at that time,
[00:50:29.250]they needed a little color.
[00:50:31.503](audience laughing)
[00:50:33.000]And so at one meeting I happened to be, she says,
[00:50:38.980]"Gwen," she called me Gwen, most people do,
[00:50:42.437]"Gwen, I need you."
[00:50:44.940]What else was there to say?
[00:50:46.350]I knew her well, she was a close friend.
[00:50:51.390]But she said, "I need you."
[00:50:53.490]She did not have to tell me three or four times
[00:50:57.810]why she needed me because all of these colleges
[00:51:02.130]were ready then.
[00:51:03.750]They had to make a point.
[00:51:06.180]And so I said, "Well, I don't know."
[00:51:10.680]And she did say to me, "Come down, see what we're like."
[00:51:16.320]I came down and saw what they were like,
[00:51:18.090]and came down O Street.
[00:51:20.580]I thought we were a little bit in the West at that time.
[00:51:23.247](audience laughing)
[00:51:26.455]And it was wonderful experience to know the people.
[00:51:31.500]It was surprising when I was invited.
[00:51:34.950]I followed the many people that I knew here
[00:51:38.400]at the university and I thought it'd be kind of fun
[00:51:41.940]to be working with them.
[00:51:44.190]And so I came.
[00:51:47.250]Well, if you knew Virginia Trotter,
[00:51:50.370]you knew what it was like to be approached.
[00:51:54.420]And there was no decision but that I was going to come.
[00:51:59.760]That's the kind Virginia was.
[00:52:02.220]And I had known Dean Anthony for a long time.
[00:52:06.570]And she was instrumental in getting me to come.
[00:52:10.449]So here I was and I'm around there at the University
[00:52:14.010]of Nebraska saying, "I'm going to take another position."
[00:52:18.328]And they said, "You're going down there
[00:52:20.160]where the Indians are?"
[00:52:21.969](audience laughing)
[00:52:23.400]And that was an interesting experience too
[00:52:27.090]because it came to me how little we know about each other.
[00:52:33.660]But I had not had a problem with that.
[00:52:37.770]One of my experiences as a result
[00:52:40.080]of my participation in the association was going abroad.
[00:52:46.650]And that is always an interesting experience.
[00:52:51.270]If you haven't done it, do it.
[00:52:53.130]But I came away.
[00:52:55.260]I did Ghana, I did Sudan and I did India.
[00:53:00.960]A little short trip into India,
[00:53:03.450]where I helped with a program.
[00:53:07.230]I did it and I came away thinking,
[00:53:10.537]"We need to understand internationally what our role is."
[00:53:16.680]I think of three things that are important
[00:53:19.950]in the international role.
[00:53:23.070]One is helping people to improve their home life.
[00:53:28.380]One is dealing with sanitation, health and sanitation.
[00:53:34.467]And the third is education.
[00:53:38.460]And after that, I said to myself, "Get out of there."
[00:53:42.387]Because they do have culture.
[00:53:45.780]They do have a life that they know how to live.
[00:53:49.710]And our sticking our hands in there,
[00:53:52.590]trying to make everything so different
[00:53:55.230]tends to impede, not progress.
[00:53:59.760]Now, that is what I brought away
[00:54:01.470]from the international experience.
[00:54:04.557]But then as I was, I'm shifting here, just a minute.
[00:54:10.950]I wanted to skip all of this that I was gonna talk about
[00:54:14.100]in terms of what is ecology?
[00:54:16.800]I will pause.
[00:54:19.170]Does anybody have a question?
[00:54:21.648](audience laughing)
[00:54:24.368]That you wanted to ask me?
[00:54:31.589]I've been thinking about this and truly,
[00:54:37.163]we need to think about tomorrow.
[00:54:41.760]Because if you don't start doing it now,
[00:54:44.670]it's gonna slip by you.
[00:54:47.520]Are you strongly thinking ahead?
[00:54:52.290]A new day is coming.
[00:54:56.937]The new era is right on our doorstep.
[00:55:01.710]And all of these electronics
[00:55:03.570]that they tease me about never knowing
[00:55:05.610]what's going on is gone.
[00:55:09.870]But we're standing at the border with our electronics.
[00:55:13.800]But the new day has been named.
[00:55:17.130]And are you aware we are going into the age of technology?
[00:55:25.170]Now, don't ask me the difference, I've read it.
[00:55:28.440]I don't understand it.
[00:55:30.947]But there is a decided difference
[00:55:33.750]between electronics and technology.
[00:55:38.010]And that if you want to make a significant contribution,
[00:55:43.260]you need to get across that border, get in there now,
[00:55:48.300]and decide what can a home economist do
[00:55:53.220]in the age of technology?
[00:55:56.160]You don't have a long time to think about it
[00:55:58.860]because so many other people
[00:56:00.150]are getting ready to move in fast.
[00:56:03.330]But anyway, that is part of our future.
[00:56:08.268]I'd like to think that what you're doing
[00:56:12.030]is you are thinking and being inspired,
[00:56:16.710]and just moving forward.
[00:56:19.590]One of the singers a long time ago, wrote a song,
[00:56:23.430]that the words talked about,
[00:56:25.740]this was back in about the late '60s.
[00:56:28.690]He said, "We are living in an ice age.
[00:56:33.780]We don't think anymore.
[00:56:36.870]Our ideas are frozen, our inspirations are frozen,
[00:56:42.780]attacking something new is frozen somewhere."
[00:56:46.470]We need to get in there and melt and move ahead,
[00:56:51.870]and begin to really think what it is
[00:56:55.620]that we want for our field.
[00:57:00.030]Now, I thought of some ideas when I look at this.
[00:57:04.170]The first thing came to me, what is your field
[00:57:09.930]in terms of what you have learned about life?
[00:57:16.230]Have you thought about that?
[00:57:18.630]What does your English as a major
[00:57:21.660]teach you about living life?
[00:57:24.420]And I ran across a wording that was written in 1994.
[00:57:30.187]"Everything I learned about life,
[00:57:33.510]I learned it in home economics."
[00:57:35.703](audience laughing)
[00:57:37.500]And there were about 14 items in there,
[00:57:40.050]but I'm not gonna name all 14.
[00:57:41.490]I'm just gonna do about four of them.
[00:57:44.490]I discovered the power of choice and learned to cope,
[00:57:49.710]cooperate, console and care.
[00:57:55.440]Debt is a four-letter word.
[00:57:58.181](audience laughing)
[00:58:00.120]Remember when you go out in the world,
[00:58:02.910]self-management reduces the chances
[00:58:06.480]of you becoming poverty or poverty.
[00:58:14.460]I learned about nutrients, bites and lights,
[00:58:20.700]and that complex carbohydrates are not simple.
[00:58:26.831]And remember when I also learned
[00:58:29.823]that the top-10 list of foods was not hamburgers,
[00:58:35.670]french fries, hot dogs, soda, chips, candy,
[00:58:40.410]chocolate chip cookies, pizza and breadsticks.
[00:58:45.840]Be aware then of this one.
[00:58:50.392]I discovered that an investment in education
[00:58:56.003]yields evidence for a lifetime.
[00:59:00.961](audience applauding)
[00:59:07.433]Having shared those with you,
[00:59:08.876]let me get these things straightened up here.
[00:59:13.809]I want to leave one last challenge to you.
[00:59:19.716]I think I'm ready.
[00:59:21.702]I want to leave one last challenge with you.
[00:59:26.100]And that is, start your planning, start thinking.
[00:59:32.370]But I do add to that, one other thing.
[00:59:36.420]And it comes from words from Spiritual.
[00:59:40.540]And I think it's very important.
[00:59:42.163]I don't put the words in the exact way they're in the song.
[00:59:45.840]But I want you to think about this.
[00:59:48.120]When you start out, look down.
[00:59:52.950]Look down that lonesome road
[00:59:57.990]before you travel on.
[01:00:00.900]Because if wearied, dragging such a load
[01:00:05.130]down the lonesome road,
[01:00:07.470]you're gonna have to think with others.
[01:00:11.490]So look down, look down that lonesome road
[01:00:18.240]before you travel on.
[01:00:20.619]Amen.
[01:00:21.765]Thank you, this has been such a day.
[01:00:23.845](audience applauding)
[01:00:26.976]I appreciate you, thank you.
[01:00:28.507](audience applauding)
[01:00:31.643]Aren't we lucky to have her?
[01:00:33.707]Aren't we lucky to have this woman in our lives?
[01:00:37.805]So lucky, so lucky.
[01:00:39.715](audience applauding)
[01:00:55.627]Wise, humble, generous.
[01:01:01.967]Thank you, Gwen.
[01:01:05.130]And I wanna say thank you to all of you for coming today.
[01:01:08.100]I hope you will take some time to greet Gwen
[01:01:11.310]before you depart.
[01:01:13.123]I wanna thank everyone for coming.
[01:01:15.180]I do wanna thank Madison Woltemath and the Dean's Office
[01:01:18.900]for arranging everything for today's event.
[01:01:21.456](audience applauding)
[01:01:26.489]I wanna say thank you to Georgia
[01:01:28.260]and the Chancellor's Commission
[01:01:29.700]on the Status of People of Color
[01:01:31.440]for enabling us to have this wonderful day.
[01:01:34.260]I wanna say thank you to all of our speakers this morning.
[01:01:37.613](audience applauding)
[01:01:41.120]A wonderful day of celebration,
[01:01:44.040]education and thinking forward to the future.
[01:01:47.730]So thank you all for coming.
[01:01:49.800]Thank you, have a wonderful day.
[01:01:51.872](audience applauding)
[01:01:53.281](upbeat instrumental music)

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Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Human Sciences Building - Building Renaming Celebration

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